1. Ethical Fashion on VOGUE.COM
Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:20:46 GMT

Livia will be taking a break from the Green Carpet blog but stay tuned for an exciting new Ethical Fashion blog on VOGUE.COM soon.

In the mean time, be sure to check out our favourite ethical fashion brands here.
2. Livia Firth Made handbag
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:32:08 GMT

If you followed my Green Carpet Challenge, you might know that I am a big fan of Made jewellery, the fair trade recycled label founded by Cristina Cisilino. Colin and I got a chance to visit Cristina and her husband Gerson at the Made workshop in Nairobi back in January. Some time afterwards Cristina and I were talking about how we both love the quality and patina of old leather – when a leather accessory becomes battered and lived-in it becomes really beautiful. We both remembered how during our teenage years in Italy everybody revered a simple leather bag and howthe more you wore it the better it looked.

So Cristina asked me to sketch my perfect bag and we teamed up with Jane Shepherdson – head of Whistles – who has been working to bring ethical fashion to the high street. The next thing I knew - it was there! The Livia bag. I never thought I’d say this but I now have my own eponymous handbag! Actually it’s a shopper – we were adamant that you needed to be able to fit your computer, make up bag, extra shoes and the kitchen sink in. The leather is Masai leather and Cristina has been able to set up a specific fair trade leather factory too.

Obviously we wanted to incorporate Made\'s jewellery too so the leather is offset by a bag charm from the Nairobi workshop that doubles up as a bracelet. This isn\'t an "It-bag" that will be discarded when the season passes, it’s a bag that lasts a lifetime.

Laura Bailey\'s just returned from the Made workshop in Nairobi and has some brilliant pictures of the bag drying among others.

I’ve been using my sample bag for a few weeks now and I can assure you I’ve treated it with no care at all and it’s becoming more stunning by the day. It’s low maintenance and beautiful. That’s my perfect combination.

It\'s available from www.eco-age.com, www.whistles.co.uk & www.made.uk.com for £160.
3. Livia Firth Wraps-Up Her Green Carpet Challenge
Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:10:53 GMT

I\'ve loved taking part in The Green Carpet Challenge. It was a unique opportunity for me to think about clothes on a different level. Not just about their aesthetic appeal (obviously that was pretty important given the scrutiny on the red carpet), but their structure, manufacture and possible lifespan.

I am hugely indebted to the designers I met (some of whose creations I got to wear), who aren\'t just designing for a brief season but making ethical decisions about production, prioritising fundamental rights like paying garment makers a living wage and not polluting watercourses with dyes and finishing chemicals.

We found that designers outside of the mainstream get a raw deal in terms of coverage and respect. The whole point of the Green Carpet Challenge was really to work with them for a change. They are empowered people and - when you wear their clothes - a bit of that rubs off.

This blog should have really been called Lucy and Livia\'s blog. Lucy Siegle challenged me in the first place and then taught me more about sustainable and ethical fashion than I knew existed.

Bear with us because there are just a few people we\'d like to thank:

- Horst Hachelbacker, the creator of Aveda, who now produces the wonderful Intelligent Nutrients. Without his sponsorship this blog wouldn\'t have existed.
- Thank you to Jocelyn Whipple, expert on ethical sourcing and fibres, without whom Lucy and I would have lost the plot.
- Alessandro and Francesco who filmed and edited the UK films on this blog.
- Photographer Caroline Schiff, who took the beautiful photographs at the Golden Globes, the Oscars and most of the footage that was shot in LA.
- Zem Joaquim at Ecofabulous who introduced us to some pretty cool people in LA, including Heidi Pettit at Vie PR.
- Thank you to Roger Vivier for lending so many stunning pairs of shoes and bags for these challenges. Thanks also to Roger Vivier design director Bruno Frisoni for getting onboard our vision for the Oscars and making a bespoke bag from up-cycled pieces.
- Stella McCartney for the amazing shoes and clutch bag that I wore at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Baftas.
- Amber Marie Bently jewellery and Calleija for the loan of the Argyle pink diamonds for the Oscars.
- Thank you to all the designers and labels who took part in this challenge. Some of them knew they were involved, some of them didn\'t until afterwards! Christina Marty of Christiana Couture (the Golden Globes dress), Casey Larkin of Mr Larkin (the SAGs and the pre-Oscar parties), Sara Shepherd (the London Premier), Linda Loudermilk (Paris premiere), Nina Skarra (the Spirit Awards), Leila Hafzi (the Baftas), and of course the genius Orsola de Castro of From Somewhere (the Oscars).
- Also thanks to Stewart + Brown, Ada Zanditon, Christopher Raeburn, Michelle Lowe (Ribbon Reclaim), People Tree, Bottletop, Kresse & Elvis, Junky Styling - who I either wore in transit, wanted to wear but couldn\'t for various reasons (not least busting my knee and requiring a knee brace half way through the challenge), or was inspired by. And David Bamber, who was so supportive.
- VOGUE.COM for making all of this possible.
- A huge thank you to Tom Ford and, of course, Colin. Without their beautiful film, A Single Man, I wouldn\'t have had the opportunity to walk THOSE carpets in the first place.

We\'ll be carrying on the debate and showcasing all the hottest sustainable design ideas (including fashion) at our store, Eco Age and through our blog.

Most of all. Thank you to everybody who followed this blog - for your support, ideas and feedback. We made some mistakes - recorded for posterity - but some discoveries too! I hope it\'s a good resource for anybody who thinks, like I do, that sustainable fashion is the way forward. For me this is the start and I hope that we can pick up the debate again soon.

THE BIG NEWS
It\'s the height of cheekiness, but after borrowing their dresses for the Green Carpet I then asked the designers if I could donate their beautiful pieces to a special fundraising event for Oxfam. They said yes! Most of the pieces that you\'ll recognise from the blog entries will be up for auction at a special fashion event, the Oxfam Curiosity Shop, a pop-up shop that takes place at the Ultralounge Selfridges, London for a week from 14 May for a week only. It will be an amazing experience. Don\'t worry if you\'re not in the market for a red carpet number, I\'m assured there will be some great non-gown pieces as well. I hope to see you there!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
4. The Oscars
Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:59:29 GMT

Photo by Caroline Schiff

Approaching the Kodak Theatre, I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this. I have never been to such a huge event. The cars are in a queue. There are cameras everywhere. It is so funny to suddenly glimpse Sigourney Weaver or Sarah Jessica Parker out of the corner of your eye. There are some exquisite dresses. Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel Couture looks quite fantastic.

SEE ALL THE RED CARPET LOOKS HERE

The red carpet is actually quite good fun, though so crowded that I get my foot stepped on a couple of times. We do the rounds of journalists, some of whom we’re getting to know through the awards season and some are really interested in the green carpet challenge. Obviously the big question is, do we think Colin is going to win? The answer is no, we don’t! We think Jeff Bridges will win!

I’m sitting in front of the stage, third row back next to Pedro Almodóvar. Jeff Bridges indeed wins! He is such a great actor and a very cool man. With all of that out of the way, we can move on to the parties! (I am developing a taste for all of this).

It is such a fun night, once the initial nerves are out of the way. We go off to the Vanity Fair party where P Diddy kisses my hand. Carey Mulligan - who looks so beautiful in Prada, I think - loves my dress, as did Julianne Moore. Nobody can believe it is made from waste. We have a laugh with Russell Brand, get a hug from Lee Daniels and then it’s off to Madonna’s party…

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
5. getting ready for the Oscars
Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:47:35 GMT

It is really hard to keep the butterflies at bay. They began when I passed the Kodak Theatre a couple of days before, and saw people beginning to put the red carpet down. It is huge!

Georgie Eisdell arrives to do the make up. She is so calm and together that she really settles my nerves. I have never seen so much makeup in one place – just in case you thought the dress was the only high maintenance bit of this challenge! We’ve decided on smokey eyes.

I can’t stop laughing. Somebody has just delivered a food parcel. This is because we won’t have time to eat apparently so we need to take it with us in the car. Not sure about the plastic water bottles or packaging! Who said the Oscars was glamorous?

The dress goes on. It feels amazing. Orsola de Castro and her team have excelled themselves. It is exactly what I wanted to end this challenge. Deep, sumptuous blacks, a mix of materials, a subtle drape and old Hollywood detailing. I can’t wait to tell people that it’s made from waste!

Everything feels so precious – the dress, the shoes (Roger Vivier) and the bag, which is made from leftover scraps from Bruno Frisoni at Roger Vivier’s office cupboard. It is like a bejeweled cloud!

And then there’s the Calleija diamonds. I put the earrings on and waste several minutes just gazing at their subtle sparkle in the mirror. They are captivating!

We’re ready to go. The butterflies are back. But they’re not just fluttering around my stomach, they’re doing the samba!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients. Photos by Caroline Schiff.
6. Livia Firth punk look for pre-Oscar party
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:15:59 GMT

With the Independent Spirit Awards barely over, it’s on to the pre-Oscar parties (where we ran into Russell Brand). I’m seeing them as an opportunity to wear some more ethical fashion! So I set off working (should surely be “rocking”, but can’t quite bring myself to say that!) a kind of ethical punk look, which I am getting quite into.

It’s back to Casey Larkin, who you might remember from earlier in the blog as I wore her milk fibre dress in LA to the SAG Awards. This time it’s a Mr Larkin jacket called Willa. On the label it says: “I am made of 60% cotton and 40% nylon (that is designed to be reused) and lined with organic cotton/silk.” Don’t you love a label that actually tells you something?

My metal beads are recycled vintage from the early Forties in Japan and, of course, I’ve added my favourite Made skull necklace.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
7. Livia Firth in Nina Skarra at the Independent Spirit Awards
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:26:28 GMT

As regular followers will know, I\'ve developed a real thing for designer Nina Skarra (see the film of when we met at Estethica). She talks so much sense about taking fashion in a different direction and at the same time has very strong and impressive design credentials and talent.

Anyway, last night at the Independent Spirit Awards, I finally got the chance to wear one of her dresses, this red number. It was a bit of a double whammy as I\'ve also been dying to wear some jewellery from Amber Marie Bentley. She and her husband are well known in environmental circles in LA, working particularly in conservation. She also makes the environment a priority in her jewellery.

I\'m also developing an eye for other green pieces worn on the red carpet. At the Spirits, I found the lovely Marguerite Kenner (with me, below), whose husband Bobby directed the recent polemic Food Inc, which exposes the industrialisation of our food chain. She was wearing Linda Loudermilk of course!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
8. Livia Firth First Look Oscars Dress
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:20:00 GMT

Orsola, Orsola\'s team, David Bamber and I focus all our energies on the dress from waste.

We don’t do panic, but we have done a number of rapid fittings and Orsola and her team have been working flat out on the dress for the Oscars.

Here’s a few behind the scenes shots. Without giving the whole dress away, I thought you’d like to see how seriously we are taking this! The looks of concentration on our faces while we were doing the fittings in Orsola’s Notting Hill workshop (behind her shop, From Somewhere) are hilarious. Helping us is David Bamber, freelance design consultant. He and Orsola are on the same wavelength and they both really get the old school glamour I crave.

Orsola is the right person to take on a “challenge” as she puts it: “It’s not like I don’t bloody challenge myself all the time anyway! And anyway I’m following your spirit – provocative, much like me.”

Had she ever made an Oscar dress before? “Thousands dahling, absolutely loads!”. That’s a no, then. “The constraints are all internal, fear, pressure, will it be good enough, is it too simple? So, on the one hand, you have to let all creativity loose, while battling your demons. In this case though, you have to laugh... the dress is made with all things discarded because I’m a waste woman.”

She isn’t joking. Every scrap of fabric is from ends of rolls, discarded silk and organza off-cuts, silk chiffon un-finished petticoats (rescued from the trash) and off-cuts from the cutting room floor. All the materials are from quality, high end designers although Orsola can’t tell us who – well she could, but she’d have to kill us.

Her philosophy is spot on, I think. “I’m a waste woman!” she announces cheerily, “I want to recycle the future, it should be everyone\'s top priority to re-use our resources, so I hope it will highlight up-cycling on a massive scale, and validate its creative, environmental and commercial potential.”

How confident is she feeling? “Listen, I can’t compete with the zillions of chiffons and crystals and the big, big names, I cant,” she says. “So let this dress be strong in simplicity, going back to my (and Livia\'s) roots, something we understand, let’s make it super comfortable and super flattering for Livia and lets stay absolutely true to what we believe in. If all else fails, at least my great grand children will be impressed.”

Stay tuned for the jewels and accessories. It’s all coming together!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
9. Livia Firth chooses Calleija diamonds for the Oscars
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:12:03 GMT

Diamonds are a tricky issue on the red carpet. The Oscars will be covered in jewels and attendant security guards.

Apparently you’re supposed to pick a diamond through the three Cs: carat, cut and clarity. But what about the big E, as in ethical?

As so often with this challenge, I’m within and without. I know I need beautiful jewels to show off Orsola’s dress to full advantage, and to assimilate on that big, big carpet at the Kodak Theatre, but there are so many unanswered questions with a lot of diamond suppliers.

But then we found Calleija’s Argyle pink diamonds. Not only are they incredibly beautiful, and rare, but they are “ethically” mined from the ground in East Kimberley, Australia. The sustainability report has lots more detail, but there are strict controls on pollution.

Unlike the hideous chain of abuses behind the production of “conflict diamonds” the Argyle mines also have a strict compact with the local, indigenous community and must also protect cultural as well as environmental heritage. Another big problem in conventional diamond production appears to be the cutting and polishing of stones – connected to labour rights and child labour abuses in some parts of the world. I like the strict control that Calleija exercises over the supply chain, using small, bespoke workshops.

So tonight, I will have diamonds, but they’ll be responsible ones!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
10. Livia Firth meets Bruno Frisoni
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:05:02 GMT

The premiere of A Single Man in Paris meant I could slip off to see Bruno Frisoni, the designer at Roger Vivier. Here we all are in his sample cupboard! What on earth are we doing? Going through all the lovely old samples and bits of fabric he has collected over the years from the Roger Vivier line. Why? Because he very kindly agreed to make my bag for the Oscars out of scraps of waste. That way I get his ingenuity, vision and attention to detail with Roger Vivier craftsmenship in a recycled product. Can\'t wait to get my hands on the finished product! I\'ll post a close up on the night!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
11. ethical fashion in the Oscars goody bags
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:49:47 GMT

I was very excited to hear that there\'s a bit of ethical fashion in the Oscar bags this year. I\'ve learned a lot about the issues involved with cotton production in the last few weeks through this blog. The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) recently brought out a new report Slave Nation about child labour use in Uzbekistan to pick the cotton harvest. Then there\'s the well known pesticide issue. Animal Tails is a fanstastic Soil Association certified organic company that is also Fairtrade, designing beautiful children’s clothes and insisting on an ethical supply chain. It will be nice to see something so worthwhile in a goody bag.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
12. Livia Firth announces her 2010 Oscars Dress
Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:13:57 GMT

This hasn’t been an easy decision because I’ve met, or been exposed to, so many fantastic designers on the same wavelength as me. Their ethical credentials are impeccable and so are their design and making skills. It’s a cliché, but I was spoiled for choice.

Here is my wish list: I wanted something with true ethical pedigree, that will stand up to scrutiny on the most hotly observed red carpet of all, that mixes sustainable design with old style Hollywood glamour and will round this challenge off perfectly.

So, here it is: I’ve asked Orsola de Castro to make my Oscars dress.

Orsola is a wonderful woman, whose label From Somewhere mixes sustainability with quirky chic. Whenever I wear a From Somewhere jacket, top or dress it becomes the focus of conversation. She is also a self-confessed magpie and essentially produces her collection from the offcuts and waste of some of the swankiest names in fashion (I think of her as a very chic, Italian Womble).

But this isn’t just recycling – where you reuse a material and it generally decreases in value – this is upcycling. Orsola is queen of upcycling, scooping fabric and odds and ends - out of bins if necessary - gathering up ends of rolls and unwanted stock and turning them into amazing pieces.

Asking Orsola to make my Oscar dress brings the Green Carpet Challenge full circle. Because back in September when I saw her wonderful "Carina" black dress made from reclaimed fabrics, with accentuated chiffon sleeves I immediately borrowed it to wear to the Venice Film Festival where Colin won best actor (see below for the picture).

The dress was made in the Cooperativa Rinascere in Italy, which Orsola set up to make all her clothes. The Cooperativa helps to rehabilitate disabled people and people with mental health problems. Orsola’s seamstresses used to work for top fashion houses but, since becoming ill, it has been hard for them to re-enter their profession. She says that when I wore the dress in Venice, and it came up on the television screen, the atmosphere in the Cooperativa was like a football match!

So it was Orsola who prompted us to see if we could do the awards season in sustainable fashion. And it is with Orsola that we’ll end! I’m really excited to see what she comes up with.

I will be Tweeting from the red carpet and from the ceremony on Oscars night, so make sure you\'re following me at @vogue_london.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
13. Livia Firth searches for an Oscars dress at Estithica at LFW
Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:03:13 GMT

Dress by Ada Zanditon

Given that there’s a certain event happening in less than a week (YES! IT’S THE OSCARS!) it’ll come as no surprise that I’ve spent the last couple of weeks dashing about looking for ethical inspiration for the perfect green carpet dress. Last week’s Estethica (the ethical arm of London Fashion Week) was a gift. The amazing thing about Estethica is that everyone is speaking the same language – fashion with a conscience, low impact, responsible etc – so you don’t have to explain yourself.

Anyway, I certainly did a lot of talking so I’ve posted four short films of me and Lucy catching up with some of our favourite designers who were exhibiting there – such as Ivana Basilotta, Ada Zanditon, the inimitable Kurt from Junky Styling and Nina Dolcetti. See them in the film is below.

From the moment I walked into Estethica’s area in Somerset House and saw the installation by Christopher Raeburn I felt inspired. And it wasn’t all big Oscar dresses. We found some bamboo sunglasses, stopped off to try on some original fair trade panamas from Pachacuti and admired the extraordinary accessories collection from Elvis & Kresse Arts that are made from recovered fire hose – yes, fire hose. Ingenuity is not something that the ethical fashion scene lacks!

As a little aside, I also got to meet Nina Skarra. She is an eco-couture designer and I saw (and fell in love with) some of her dresses in LA. She is based in Norway but came over to Estethica to have a look around and we had a catch-up in front of the Pachacuti hat stand! It was great to finally meet her.

See who else we met at Estethica in the three films below...

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
14. Livia Firth wears Leila Hafvi for the Baftas
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:01:49 GMT

Last night was pretty exciting. Doubtless everyone always says this but I was genuinely shocked when Colin\'s name was called out as Best Actor. It was a lovely surprise to win such an accolade at home. I was extremely glad I was dressed for the occasion - in Leila Hafzi. The yellow just gave me a little boost that I wasn\'t going to get from my very flat shoes. I fell last week, cracked a bone in my leg and strained the ligaments, which rules heels out of the remainder of the Green Carpet Challenge. This is a shame because a) I love heels and b) most red carpet gowns really benefit from them. Hobbling down the carpet wasn\'t the challenge I had in mind but there we go. Everybody was hugely nice about the dress. By the way, any suggestions for ethical flat shoes will be gratefully received.

After staying up until 2am at post Bafta parties, I was up bright and early on this morning (in a knee brace, which is my new signature look), and off to Esthetica at London Fashion Week. Lucy Siegle wanted to know who mended our fridge - a reference to Colin\'s acceptance speech, as the producers of the TV show she works on had wanted to know so they could interview him (the fridge man, not Colin!). As it was two years ago we can\'t remember. And when our fridge last broke we had to get someone else to help as the company didn\'t seem to be in business any more. My family are proponents of a make do and mend culture but not many companies are!

Anyway, back to Esthetica. I had a great time, accumulating ideas for the rest of this challenge, and getting ideas ready for the big one - the Oscars. I really enjoyed the fact that Esthetica is in Somerset House this year. The rooms are so atmospheric and the closer ethical fashion gets to mainstream the better. The designers there have been very supportive of this challenge, helping me find my ethical fashion feet (no connection to my accident). We met up with some of our favourites and some new faces and we\'ll post the films as soon as possible. As an extra bonus I was talking to some of the MA designers from the school of Sustainable Design at the London College of Fashion and one of them had created the most amazing accessories from pre-consumer waste. I immediately borrowed some for another awards party tonight. I am turning into a magpie. I\'ll post some pictures tomorrow.

And then - I\'ve got so much stuff to post - Summer Rayne Oakes, scientist-turned-model-turned-activist-and-writer, has been picking the best pieces from New York\'s green fashion scene and I\'ll post some of her suggestions (will there be an Oscar piece?).

Then we\'ve got our films from Esthetica, including Ada Zanditon, one of my favourite young designers. She has a catwalk show tomorrow. But by next week I have to have decided on the dress for the Oscars. As always, I\'d love your help and advice.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
15. Livia Firth Bafta Dress Choice
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The awards season is flying by. Here we are at the Baftas already (they are on Sunday night), and that means it\'s decision time once more.

My initial strategy with the Green Carpet Challenge was to blend in or assimilate on the red carpet, sneaking in sustainable fashion - primarily through vintage or repurposing. So I\'m reasonably shocked that for Sunday I\'m going for the brightest option I could find. I\'m getting quite bold in colour and purpose!

"Responsible design" wasn\'t supposed to look like this. If you ask ten people what responsible, ethical or sustainable design looks like -providing they understood the question - I bet eight of them would still say something along the lines of "sludge coloured, hemp". So I love the fact that Hafzi presents us with riotously coloured soft silk and confounds all our prejudices. Although I note she also pioneered high-end hemp in her first collection back in 1997.

I was genuinely excited by her pieces when Heidi from Vie PR introduced me to them in LA. In common with other visionary designers, she turns the production system on its head to fit her sustainable agenda. She started out by going to local tailors in Nepal to learn how to build a garment - and then moved on to developing an environmentally friendly production cycle. Obviously colour was a massive issue as dyes are so ecologically impactful. So Leila has pioneered AZO-free dyes and alternative ayurvedic colours to get a rainbow without the footprint. Her production chain is short, controlled and transparent, bringing vital work to the tailors she works with in Nepal. You can easily research it as her pieces are registered with the Respect Inside project (www.switcher.ch).

You\'ve frequently suggested Leila Hafzi as a huge talent that deserves as many outings on the red carpet as she can get. I read an interview with Leila on Ecofashionworld where the interviewer was of the same opinion, "the world\'s divas haven\'t yet discovered Leila Hafzi\'s show-stopping gowns. However, judging from the audience\'s reaction at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris, and the awards that keep pilling up, we know it\'s only a matter of time." And Leila herself said she would love to dress Cate Blanchett or Uma Thurman.

Well, I\'m afraid she\'s got little old me on Sunday at the Baftas, but I promise to pitch Leila to Cate or Uma if I see them there!

Photos by Caroline Schiff.
16. Livia Firth A Single Man Paris Premiere
Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:00:10 GMT

I think I’ve found the perfect way to do sustainable premieres in February. Last night, in Paris for the premiere of A Single Man, I wore a beautiful Linda Loudermilk black suit. It’s 50/50 bamboo (more on that in a minute), and wool herringbone and it’s lined with sustainable silk. Not only did it earn lots of style compliments from our French hosts – but I was extremely warm. We took these pictures on Colin\'s phone.

While I was in Paris I dropped in on my friend Bruno Frisoni , who designs for Roger Vivier. We’re working on what I’ll call a “secret mission” for the time being, for the last part of this challenge. Anyway while I was there, I raided the sample cupboard (that’s some cupboard!) and borrowed a handbag.

As we are in France, my mum joined us from Italy. She came bearing gifts (on loan!) for the Green Carpet Challenge. The earrings (fake) are from our Amercian friend Tom, who now lives next to my parents. They actually belonged to Tom’s mum, Mary Alice Corey, who bought them in New York at Circo’s on Fifth Avenue in the Sixties. It was an honour to borrow them.

Back to bamboo. There has been a lot of coverage in the States recently about the use of bamboo in textiles - Tree Hugger tells all here. There are good methods of harvesting and processing that make it an ecologically superior fibre to rayon, but there are many equally dodgy methods and sources, which are no better and - in some cases - worse.

Linda Loudermilk’s office tell me this is a fabric from a source they have used for years. It is also certified by the Oeko-Tex label that evaluates environmental impact, global impact, fossil fuel use and local impact assessment.

Now, back to London. Take a look at who else was at last night\'s premiere...

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
17. Livia Firth answers questions and comments
Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:49:43 GMT

Finally, I’ve got some time to catch up with all your comments. Thank you so much for your generous support and help on the blog. We’re picking up more and more people as we go along – I think it took a while for me to explain coherently what I was actually doing! I have never had to think so much about what I’m wearing (fashion isn’t my natural territory), so thank you for being patient with me!

A few people have asked how I got into ethical fashion. I have a long-term interest in sustainable design and became persuaded that - with some ingenuity and support - designers could design products for life rather than landfill (my brother and I set up the shop, Eco Age). I’ve also worked on documentary films that I would broadly term “social justice” and accompanied Colin on events for Fairtrade, so things like the issue of cotton began to interest me.

Then, a couple of years ago, I was on a trip with an NGO in Bangladesh with Lucy Siegle (who challenged me to do this green carpet challenge), and by chance we were given access to a garment factory in Dhaka. This was a supposedly high standard factory in terms of safety and good working conditions. I found it appalling. It was producing fast fashion for the Western market. We also met a lot of female garment workers. They were paid a pittance, nowhere near a living wage.

Since then, I’ve begun to navigate ethical fashion (fibres, production, trade tariffs, living wage – it’s pretty complex), by picking everyone else’s brains. My main information sources are the Ethical Fashion Forum, Labour Behind the Label, the EJF (Environmental Justice Foundation, whose new report on cotton is out later this month), and designers with a vision of ethical production like Saffia Minney of People Tree and Orsola Del Castro of From Somewhere. I’m not sure any one label gets the whole thing right yet (Made By is a good, progressive newish scheme) and there’s still a lot to be ironed out, such as sustainable fibres (what’s good and what’s greenwash?), but I really love being part of a movement looking for solutions and promoting creativity.

Leila Hafzi has been a great favourite on the blog. Photo by Caroline Schiff.

Nina Skarra, will also be showing at Esthetica . Photo by Caroline Schiff.

So far you’ve introduced me to some pretty cool designers including Ada Zanditon (Georgie, thank you for the recommendation), a London College of Fashion student who is a star in the making. She has a catwalk show coming up at Esthetica on 23 February that I’m really looking forward to. I’ve also heard Nina Skarra is going to be there too. There’s also been quite a bit of blog chat about Leila Hafzi’s stunning dresses. Alexia says her pieces ‘have a very high Oscar-ceremony potential with their ethereal lines and glamorous colours’. She also adds, ‘please don’t go for black.’ But, Alexia, I feel safe there! Elena Garcia (London), Noir (Denmark) and FIN (Norway) are all recommended by Sonja. I’m having a really good look at these, Elena Garcia has become a real favourite of mine and I love Noir’s chic elegance. What is their policy on fur because I’m not a fan? I didn’t know New York-based Nadia Nour, who uses organic textiles and vegetable dyes. I’ve just had a quick look and I think she is very good and extremely directional but perhaps for a woman half my age and twice my height! Am I being too conservative?

Now to the elephant in the room: my red carpet air miles. A lot of you have asked whether I’m offsetting these. I need to plant a forest to absorb the emissions I’m generating. But I’m really not a big fan of paying other people to do it via offsetting schemes. I’ve had a look at some and I find it difficult to work out whether they are truly additional or that they are displacing the right amount of carbon. I really don’t want to support this market at the moment. So instead I’m doing a home-made version, giving my money to existing projects run by an NGO I know and trust such as Survival International or Oxfam.

I got to speak to one of the big garment and textile unions in my native Italy this week when I was checking out some “luxury” brands. There’s so much to be done to “clean up fashion” but there’s also so much being done that doesn’t get spoken about. Please tell me more! I’m hooked!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
18. Livia Firth to wear Linda Loudermilk in Paris
Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:43:06 GMT

If I ever meet anybody who doubts “luxury” and “eco” can work together, I shall just march them directly to Linda Loudermilk, in Los Angeles. She is THE pioneer of eco couture. When I walked into her design studio, I began to feel a) that this challenge is do-able and b) that we can truly have a different relationship with the garments we wear.

Actually, I think I’ll let Linda Loudermilk speak for herself, and for me! This excerpt from her website explains that the clothing is all about “providing the uniform for this new kind of earth warrior – an infusion of hope for an abused but resilient planet… Luxury eco is an emergency survival plan, fuelled by design”.

I never expected - or wanted - to feel as if I was dressing as an earth warrior – a phrase that previously made a fashion lover’s blood run cold – but Loudermilk has redefined it. Her approach is that of a passionate ecologist - she uses sasawashi, bamboo, sea cell soya and other self-sustaining plants – and a kick-ass designer!

I tried on a lot pieces from sustainable silks, mud-dyed silk, lyocell, sustainable lace and bamboo – I’ve included photographs of a number of them below. But it is the Lanai flow suit (immediately above) that I’m taking to Paris for the premiere on Monday. It’s classic, slightly subversive, made from bamboo and I cannot wait to wear it.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients. Photographs by Bruce Francis Cole.
19. Colin Firth is nominated for an Oscar
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:02:32 GMT

I\'m so excited! Colin has just received an Oscar nomination - I couldn\'t be more proud nor pleased!

And you know what this means don\'t you? Yes, we need a dress for the big, big occasion that takes us further along our green carpet journey but can stand up to the scrutiny of the Oscar carpet. OK, deep breath. Does anybody have any ideas?
20. Livia Firth - Single Man Premiere London
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:56:35 GMT

Last night’s weather may have been more conducive to bundling up in a large coat and many jumpers, but the red carpet doesn’t operate like that.

So it was off to the London premiere of A Single Man at the Curzon, Mayfair, in the third of my green carpet challenge dresses.

This time I went for a Sara Shepherd cocktail dress (see me interviewing Brit designer Sara in LA in our last film). What it lacked in “Clo” value - Lucy Siegle tells me this is the international unit of measuring warmth in clothing! - it more than made up for in chic elegance.

It’s becoming a bit of a cliché but several people who knew about the challenge came up and commented to the effect, “that can’t be eco, it’s too glossy/chic!” What they mean is that the dress didn’t fit their prescribed notion of eco fashion – porridge-coloured and hairy.

Well, designer Sara Shepherd doesn’t fit that old notion of eco either! She sources beautiful luxury fabrics from fashion houses that would usually be consigned to the waste bin for being slightly off colour, too last season or surplus to requirement. The ex-St Martin’s designer is a very clever girl using innovative cutting techniques, combined with expert tailoring skills so she can still turn heads with last season’s fabrics. I felt great in this teal number. I hope you liked it.

Lucy and I also got a chance to catch up with Lily Cole. Lily is really interested in the provenance of fibre and fabric, a fascinating part of ethical fashion. Last week she launched her new knitwear range, North Circular, at Eco Age (see us at the launch here). Well, last night she bought youthful cool to a film premiere in trousers that are organic leather. I’m not sure I could carry off those trousers like Lily, who appears to have the longest legs imaginable, but I’m really interested in finding out more about the production processes of “good” leather for shoes and handbags.

I found the accessory part of last night\'s challenge quite easy. If you’ve been following this blog you’ll have realised that I’m a fanatical fan of Made UK. It just so happens they had a pair of very sweet earrings with a teal stone in them that went really well with the dress. By the way, tomorrow I’m going to post a preview of some of Made’s new designs as I got a sneaky look at them a few days ago.

As soon as I saw this dress I knew the Roger Vivier shoes and bag were sitting in my wardrobe and that – appropriately – they were very green! I think with the teal, there’s something very fresh and vibrant about the combination. I am a big fan of Roger Vivier accessories and next week – in Paris - I’m meeting their team to talk about ethical leather (Lily, you would be proud!).

You may recall that at the start of this challenge the brilliant Christina Marty of Cristiana Couture who repurposed a wedding dress for me to wear to the globes, also found a black ribbon for it. Well, it’s becoming a theme of this challenge, but the black ribbon was back last night on the Sara Shepherd dress. You see: it’s all in the detail.

Let me know what you think of the dress!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
21. Livia Firth meets ethical designer Sara Shepherd
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:27:37 GMT

After a lovely week on home ground spent catching up with the green style scene in London, last night’s launch of Lily Cole, Katherine Poulton and Ashby’s ethical knitwear label - North Circular – at Eco Age was very good fun – it’s back to the green carpet challenge with a vengeance on Monday!

Monday is the London premiere of Tom Ford’s film, A Single Man. Launching a film we are so passionate about on home turf will be a very special night for us.
So it’s a big night but not a big gown occasion. I wanted something quite sleek and contemporary but still with a romantic edge. In LA I really connected with Sara Shepherd.

Originally British, she now lives, works and produces in California. She is completely against disposable fashion, celebrates the classic rather than being enslaved by trends and talks in terms of investment pieces. Of course she follows a sustainable and ethical production practices too. I loved a lot of her pieces but was eventually seduced by a teal cocktail dress. Here’s a film of me meeting the dress - and Sara!

We’ll be back first thing Tuesday with a report from the red carpet when you can see the dress in full. Hope you approve!

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients. Video filmed by Caroline Schiff.
22. Livia Firth Meets the ethical designers of Stewart Brown
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:00:00 GMT

This is not an original observation – but my god, it’s cold in London! I am however keeping warm (and slightly smug!) thanks to tactical layering of some beautiful cashmere knits from Stewart + Brown who we caught up with in LA last week. That\'s Karen Stewart, above, going through the new collection with Jocelyn Whipple, my eco fashion guru!

Stewart + Brown is not a red carpet label but, considering I spend so little of my time dressed up to the nines, I wanted some ethical basics for my real life and for all that travelling. You see, I am starting to convert my whole wardrobe!

Karen Stewart and Howard Brown founded the label in 2002 - the same year as they had their little girl, Hazel. They live and work in California and their knowledge of sustainable fashion and how to produce it is phenomenal.

So is the fibre they use – for example, real cashmere that has been sustainably and equitably produced in Mongolia. It’s all about authenticity and I’m beginning to realise that the best designers are the ones that really care and painstakingly follow the whole production process but can produce pieces that are also elegant. The Stewart + Brown theory is that once these pieces settle into your wardrobe for life, you can dispense with “churn and burn fashion” (I\'ve borrowed that phrase from Karen!) I think I’ve found my wardrobe soul mate.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients. Video filmed by Caroline Schiff. Images by Torrey Jay Photography© 2010.
23. Livia Firth meets Casey Larkin
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:00:15 GMT

Reclaimed sequins, vintage bugle beads on ultra soft milk fibre and cupro - Casey Larkin is one of the rising stars of the US green fashion scene through her label, Mr Larkin. It was a real thrill to meet her. She also lent me my first piece made from innovative sustainable fibre, the Elsa milk fibre dress, which I wore to the SAGs. At this point I felt like I was really getting to grips with sustainable style.

A lot of people have asked what it actually felt like to wear. The answer is fabulous! It is such a soft fabric and Casey\'s subtle detailing with the sequins (she understands old school glamour, which I adore) gives it a lift without being over the top. A beautiful, beautiful piece.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients. Video filmed by Caroline Schiff.
24. Livia Firth takes the ethical fashion challenge further
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:51:53 GMT

I arrived in LA last week without a map or a compass to the thriving ethical fashion scene. If it wasn\'t for a host of people being so accommodating and enthusiastic, I would\'ve ended up wearing a trash bag. Instead, I\'ve met some amazing designers and got hundreds of ideas as to how to succeed in this challenge. Here\'s me meeting Heidi Pettit of Vie PR, who provided so many of those introductions...

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
25. Near Disaster
Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:03:43 GMT

So here we are at the SAGs, where the milk fibre Mr Larkin dress went down a storm. It was a wonderful night. The amazing Jeff Bridges won best actor again – it really is shaping up to be his year. The dress won its own plaudits from Kyra Sedgewick and Kate Hudson, no less! For me, Kate was again the best dressed there - as she was at the Globes.

However I very nearly ended up in my jeans and a Tshirt! Just hours before I got back to LA to find that something had been lost in translation during the fitting for the Mr Larkin dress and it didn’t fit!!

What do you do hours away from a huge red carpet event when you’re committed to wearing green style and your dress is a disaster?

You get on the phone to Tom Ford’s tailor, that’s what you do! I am very lucky that Tom Ford directed Colin’s movie, A Single Man, which I why I had such resources at my disposal. And it is fair to say that Tom’s tailor, Mario, saved the day. Thank you, Mario. Thank you!

Once we’d established that Cinders was going to the ball in her milk fibre dress - courtesy of Mario - I had another look at the accessories. In the cold light of day, my trusty Luciana clutch made from can ring pulls (see Friday’s post) was a different gold and clashed. So I went for a Stella McCartney clutch I picked up with the shoes in NY last week.

As the label tells me, the bag “utilises non leather, vegetarian materials with unique finishing and highly skilled manufacturing techniques”. This retains our ongoing commitment to animal and eco-friendly fashion. This Stella accessory is embroidered entirely by hand. Luciana, I betrayed you but will wear you next time!

The sharp eyed among you might notice that I’ve also added in a vintage Valentino bracelet to my SAG accessories. That’s because I visited the famous vintage boutique Decades run by Daniel Pereira in LA and I couldn’t resist it. Entering that shop was like walking straight into the closet of a super-glamorous Hollywood star. Why don’t more people wear vintage here?

Photo credit: Dean Chalkey

Back home to the UK. Am starting to feel a bit dizzy after this week’s whirlwind dash across the US in the name of red carpets and fashion. Not only do I need to plant a forest to counter the emissions from flying, but I can honestly say I have never spent so much time thinking and talking about what I’m going to wear while the real news from Haiti has been unremittingly grim.

But then I read a couple of things that reinforced my belief that the fashion industry can put people and their livelihoods back at the centre. In the new environmental magazine, Above, Ali Hewson (aka Mrs Bono) talks about her eco-conscious fashion label, Edun, where “we carry around with us the stories of the people who make our clothes”. Similarly, the Observer Magazine talks to Erin O’Connor as she visits a project in Delhi to meet homeworkers. “The thing is, when you see an article… you almost don\'t believe that it is made with a pair of very determined hands, and that it is time consuming, and that each garment - in a sense - is bespoke because of the way in which they do it – the chalk is their guideline, like a tailor. There\'s not much to make us aware of women using their hands and their heritage, is there?” No there isn’t. But that can change.

This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.